Saturday, October 24, 2009

There's nothing more wondrous than a trip to the salvage yard. The anticipation of spending an hour or so getting lost in a sea of junk really gets my creative juices flowing!

As I make my way past rows and rows of windows & doors, tubs & toilets, stacks of lumber, marble, tile & bricks I arrive at the entrance where I'm hoping to discover my next big find!Once inside, I begin my usual routine of taking a couple of laps around the place scanning for anything new and interesting.

My mom, my partner in crime.

It's La Dolfina!

Rudy, a fellow junker, scored Merv Griffin's old vest.

Wait! What's this?Upon closer inspection I discover a fabulous vintage drafting table. The base has a beautiful limed oak finish which glowed with the patina of age and killer black cast iron fittings.I was smitten!

I couldn't wait to get it home and clean it up. I waxed the mellowed oak base and scrubbed years of dirt off the desk top. I'm still not sure what material the top is made of but it has the look of vintage pigskin...again more great patina!I placed a few props on it and took these photos.

Voila... The most amazing vintage draftsman table I have ever seen!

A few days later while perusing the new, and greatly improved, Restoration Hardware catalog I came across this...

I thought a good way to start off my long awaited entry into the world of blogging would be to explain why I chose to call my blog La Dolfina.

It all started with scoring a treasure...

a strange looking creature that I couldn't quite identify. In fact, for many years, my husband and I debated about whether it was a dolphin or a koi fish. I'd always maintain that it was a sort of mythical dolphin and he'd insist I was wrong.

Anxious to put an end to our argument, I went to the internet to find out once and for all what this exotic fish was called. As it turned out, I was right! It was, in fact, a mythical dolphin with a long and storied history.

"Just as the Lion is the king of beasts, the Eagle the king of birds, so in similar heraldic sense the Dolphin is the king of fishes."

My obsession with these mythical dolphins grew and continued to capture my imagination. I would delight each time I discovered a new one to add to my growing collection.

While making my garage sale rounds this summer, I happened upon a sale with an amazing collection of nautical items. Many of them came off an old coast guard ship. I could barely contain my excitement over the scores I made that day!

One of the items was a small, old, cork life preserver painted orange with the words "LA DOLFINA" scrawled on it. I packed it away with the rest of my treasures into the back of my Volvo station wagon, and made one last stop at my favorite consignment store before calling it a day. I emerged victorious, clutching in my hand an old brass compote with a pair of mythical dolphins at its base.

Upon arriving home, I began the ritual of unloading everything onto my driveway to admire and clean my new found treasures. My next door neighbor stopped by to check out my haul for the day. She spied the little orange life preserver and declared, "Terri! You should name your shop LA DOLFINA!"

I immediately knew she was right! Looking back on the day I realized that it was not a coincidence that the name La Dolfina was not only spelled out for me, but given to me in form as well.

I insisted my husband and son call me La Dolfina so I could try it on for size. It fit perfectly! I was convinced that I had found the perfect name, or rather, the perfect name had found me.

It symbolizes my lifelong fascination with the sea and all its glorious treasures. It's displayed in vignettes throughout my home and has a special place in my heart.

I'm so excited about my blog and I hope you will join me as I venture into the blogosphere!

Therese Long

About Me

I am a passionate treasure huntress addicted to "the thrill of the hunt." I pride myself on finding unique items and have spent a lifetime collecting unusual and interesting "treasures" which I have used in decorating our home. I shop with an eye for design and look for pieces that I like to call the "jewelry" of the room. Those pieces that have been around accumulating energy thereby bringing life into a space by telling its story or evoking a memory. The allure is found in the details of its journey... condition, provenance and patina. Our collected "treasures" tell the story of who we are. Billy Baldwin said it best, "Decorating is never successful unless it is personal." My treasures are available for purchase in my Etsy Shop and on my companion blog, Shop La Dolfina. The links can be accessed from my sidebar.

"All of life is about energy. It's about the energy that you're putting out; energy that you're drawing to yourself, every day, based on the way you think about your life & the actions that you take. Everybody is an energy field. And because of your attitude, your thinking, your actions; who you choose to be in the world, forms your own field. You are drawing into your field people who are like you... to remind you, to show you, to reflect back to you- who you are. Believe that or not, that is what is happening all the time... and it does not require your belief. It just is. It. Just. Is." -Oprah